Movie review: Robert Redford fantastic as men trapped at sea in excellent All Is Lost'

It’s probably a good hour into the extremely compelling drama “All Is Lost,” about a man stranded alone in a boat at sea, that the main character — the only character, really, unless you want to count Mother Nature or the boat — shows a great deal of emotion.
The unnamed man portrayed by Robert Redford bellows a familiar four-letter obscenity, but only he and possibly some fish can hear it.
Prior to that point, the man barely speaks, aside from attempting to radio for help. Instead, he coolly and calmly works to repair his sailboat after it collides with a floating cargo container. This is a capable sailor who knows his share of nautical tricks. (Many of us would have screamed a vulgarity immediately after the accident and proceeded to panic.)
We know things will go badly for the man from the film’s opening moments, which take place deep into the story, as he writes a letter he hopes one day will reach those he cares about.
“All is lost,” he writes, except for his body and soul — and a half-day’s ration. “I fought to the very end. I’m not sure what that’s worth, but I did.”
From there, we travel back in time to the point where the collision rattles the man from his bunk. His vessel is soon taking on water, and he does what he can to patch the sizeable hole and salvage what he needs to survive, as well as those items most dear to him.
Although his radio is damaged, he seems to have the situation under relative control — that is until he spots fast-approaching storm clouds. The man will encounter more than one bout with an angry weather event.
He soon is battered and tattered but not defeated. As he says, he fights to the end, but we won’t say more about what that end entails.
“All Is Lost” is a magnificent work of directing by J.C. Chandor, who previously wrote and directed the fascinating if somewhat flawed 2011 drama “Margin Call,” which examined the financial crisis of the late 2000s during a 36-hour period through a collection of executives at an investment bank.
It says a lot about Chandor, who also penned “All Is Lost,” that the new work is so different from “Margin Call,” which juggled many characters, was laden with dialogue and presented danger in the form of financial ruin — not physical danger.
Of course, it helps that Chandor had Redford, who, at 77, turns in one of the greatest performances of his career. He’s such a steady, interesting presence — and an actor would have to be for a movie like this to succeed — that you never wish he could have a conversation with another person or that we could spend a little time with someone else.
It’s impossible not to think of the recent hit film “Gravity” when thinking about “All Is Lost.” In that film, two astronauts, played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, are stranded in space. While it helps that Bullock and Clooney are appealing and talented actors, you don’t see “Gravity” for them. You see “Gravity” for the brilliant special effects that transport you to zero-gravity environment above the earth.
Conversely, while “All Is Lost” has a few compelling visual sequences when the man and his watercraft encounter punishing storms, you should see this film because of Redford. He deserves to at least be nominated for the best-actor Academy Award.
By the time Redford’s character finally lets the situation get to him and erupts with that four-letter word, he’s earned it. We are with him, and we want him to be rescued as much as he does.

About the Author

Mark is a lifelong Northeast Ohioan and an Ohio University grad. Along with loving music, movies and television, he is crazy about sports and tech. Reach the author at mmeszoros@news-herald.com
or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMeszoros.